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Re: advanced past

Originally Posted by BobK

You overcome an obstacle; the quarterfinals aren't one; and the use of 'hurdle' in that context is either wrong or so abstract a metaphor as not to behave like an obstacle.

b

Thanks a lot!
The first sentence was extracted from a today's newspaper.
I wonder if "advanced past" is a popular expression or if there is another expression similar in meaning that is more commonly used.
Thanks again!

Re: advanced past

Originally Posted by jctgf

Thanks a lot!
The first sentence was extracted from a today's newspaper.
I wonder if "advanced past" is a popular expression or if there is another expression similar in meaning that is more commonly used.
Thanks again!

Don't worry; 'mistake' makes my attitude seem too harsh. What I meant was that the word 'hurdle' to apply to a notional 'pivot' in parliamentary arithmetic, isn't something most careful writers would choose. Your suggestion (substituting the word 'overcame') just underlined that problem.

Incidentally, I've just the thought that this might seem confusing because you've misunderstood the verb 'overcome'. When you overfill a tea-cup, the tea doesn't overcome the top, although it might be possible to say it 'comes over it' (although 'comes over' is more normally used of physical things: 'the soldiers came over the brow of the hill').

It would be more natural to say the cup 'overflowed'. To 'overcome' is to beat/vanquish/get the better of. And if the cup didn't quite overflow, the tea would 'come [right - optional-reinforcer] up to the top' The cup would be 'full to the brim'. I hope that isn't more information than you needed